Bud Selig doesn’t believe it’s fair to compare decreased attendance figures this year to those of the last few years, saying last season’s MLB attendance was stunningly high.

The baseball commissioner spoke yesterday in Manhattan to provide an update on the owners’ meetings, saying he was “encouraged” by how things have gone with the attendance so far in ’09.

“It’s early. We’ve had horrendous weather,” Selig said. “I’m encouraged. Look, I read people saying, ‘Oh, we’re going to be down this, and we’re going to be down that. And look at all the empty seats.’ And then you compare to last year — remember, let me remind all of you, we’re going against numbers that are stunning.”

Indeed, average attendance this year was 28,661 (heading into yesterday’s action), whereas in 2008 it was 32,539, just under what was a record average of 32,785 in 2007.

The Mets and Yanks both dropped in attendance, despite their news stadiums — or perhaps because of the higher costs of most seats in the ballparks.

The Mets saw average attendance fall 22 percent, while the Yankees saw theirs decrease 14 percent. Both failed to sell out any game since their openers.

The commissioner also refused to use the Manny Ramirez positive drug test as an indictment of the game and a hint that players are still using PEDs. He instead insisted that the testing was “working,” saying Ramirez was the only positive test so far this season.

“We have a drug-testing program. It worked. No one is above the law,” he said.

“We’ve administered way over 1,000 tests this year. I guess I don’t know if anybody’s said it yet, but I’ll say it — we have one positive.

“It’s working. What the Manny Ramirez situation proved is no one can miss — and let me say this very, very clearly — we have a tough program that is working. And that’s what it proved. And anybody who didn’t draw that conclusion then doesn’t want to draw that conclusion.”

As for the other recent famous drug victim, Selig said he hasn’t spoken to, and doesn’t plan on speaking to, Alex Rodriguez regarding the pitch-tipping allegations in Selena Roberts’ book. Of course, it’s still possible that MLB could investigate Rodriguez.